For ten days at
the end of January, the sleepy town of Alamos,
Sonora, wakes up to the lilting strains of guitars,
the pounding rhythms of rock bands and the echoing
arias of opera stars, all part of the Dr. Alfonso
Ortiz Tirado Cultural Festival. Visitors come
to listen to music, view and buy the works of
local and national artists, and eat good food.
During the Festival, Alamos becomes
a blur of high-brow events and artistic festivities
that draw an eclectic crowd, mostly art lovers
from Mexico City, the United States and Canada.
By its ends, some 25,000 people have viewed exhibits
of paintings, photography and folk art from throughout
Mexico, and enjoyed the performances of soloists,
pianists, choirs and classical musicians.
Alamos, Mexico’s northernmost
colonial town, is tucked into the foothills of
the Sierra Madre seven hours southeast of Nogales,
Arizona. Founded by silver barons in the 1685,
it’s filled with mansions built by wealthy
mine owners, ten of which become impromptu art
galleries, as their owners host art exhibits in
their central courtyards.
The Festival grew from a single
evening of fine arts staged by local residents
in 1985, featuring a literary reading, a local
vocalist and piano music. They held that first
program on January 24, the birthday of Dr. Alfonso
Ortiz Tirado, a beloved Alamos physician and tenor,
who died in the 1950s leaving the town a legacy
of philanthropy and music. The success of that
night has grown into the Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado
Festival, sponsored by the Sonora state government,
the National Institute of Fine Arts and the governments
of Alamos and three nearby cities.
All the activities take place
within walking distance of the central plaza.
On the sidewalk edging the plaza vendors sell
paintings, woodcut prints, ironwood carvings,
carved tortilla paddles, embroidered clothing,
and semi-precious stones, along with home-baked
cakes, traditional candies and all sorts of Mexican
snack food.
The front steps of the parish
church, La Parroquia de la Purisma Concepcion,
completed in 1786, become a stage for musical
groups performing everything from traditional
ranchero music to rock. The two-story, brick 19th-
century Palaccio de Gobierno, featuring a huge
courtyard bordered on one side by a stage, becomes
the setting for operatic and classical concerts.
Art and music workshops, for
children and adults, as well as presentations
of popular contemporary music have been added
to the Festival in recent years so those who don’t
attend the classical concerts can also participate.
Although events take place throughout
the day, the festival comes alive at night as
people fill the streets around the plaza to eat,
dance and await the roving serenade known as the
callejoneada. About 9:30 p.m., 23 estudiantinas,
or student troubadours, dressed in colorful maroon
and gold Renaissance garb, gather at the steps
of the Palaccio de Gobierno, accompanied by a
donkey bearing casks of Padre Kino wine. The crowd
follow the youths through the streets dancing,
singing and drinking wine. The perfect end to
a day of art, music, and fun.
About the Author:
Bob Brooke, owner of Bob Brooke Communications,
is a professional writer, who specializes in writing
about Mexico. To read more of his work, visit
his personal Web site (http://www.bobbrooke.com)
or his specialized Web site, TheRealMexico.com
(http://www.therealmexico.com). |
